From a blog reader (thanks Greg), High Shoals Fire Department in Gaston County changed their name last year to North Gaston Fire Department. They are Station 21 in the county system.
HSFD was incorporated as High Shoals Volunteer Fire Department Inc. on June 9, 1960. They changed their name to High Shoals Volunteer Fire and Rescue on January 27, 2009.
On August 26, 2015, they changed their name to North Gaston Volunteer Fire and Rescue. And again on October 9, 2015, to North Gaston Volunteer Fire and Rescue Inc.
From the department’s web site at http://firehouse21.com, they cover 16 square miles and 52 road miles in Gaston and Lincoln counties. They operate three engines (including a telesquirt), a tanker, a rescue, a brush truck, and a QRV.
The reason behind the name change?
This Gaston Gazette story from September 13, 2015, tells that story
Tension between city, fire squad
By Diane Turby
The privately owned fire and rescue squad in High Shoals is officially changing its name. Letters came down from the building last week, and the name is being replaced on trucks and uniforms.
A fiery relationship in High Shoals has rumors swirling, and members of City Council organizing a meeting to extinguish the flames.
The rumor mill started churning four months ago when a bumper sticker disparaging the president was found on the city trash truck, High Shoals Mayor Dan Weekley said.
Since then, the situation has caused a rift between firefighters and city leaders, Weekley said.
‘The nightmare’
The relationship between the city and the fire department has been strained for months, Weekley said.
The Gazette contacted the mayor in May regarding the bumper sticker. Before that call, Weekley said he wasn’t aware the sticker was there.
By the end of the day, it was removed. No one owned up to putting the sticker on the city-owned truck, Weekley said.
Some blamed a volunteer firefighter for passing the picture on to The Gazette.
That’s when things “turned into a nightmare,” Weekley said.
Fire Chief Dennis Cash agreed that there is discord between the city and the department, but he didn’t want to discuss what the issues were.
Name change
The city’s fire department organized 55 years ago with the name High Shoals Fire & Rescue.
That name has changed to North Gaston Volunteer Fire and Rescue.
Weekley said untrue rumors have circulated that the city is closing the department or forced it to change names.
The department is not owned or operated by the city. The name change was approved by the squad’s governing board two years ago, Cash said.
Since the decision was made, the board of directors held off on changing signs and uniforms until $4,000 was set aside to do so, Cash said.
Weekley said he wasn’t aware of the change until letters came down from the firehouse about two weeks ago.
Goodwill and fellowship
The city and fire department have a contract.
The department provides fire protection at no charge, and the city gives water and trash pickup to the fire station.
Those requirements are being met, but one important part in the contract isn’t, Weekley said.
The rumors and badmouthing violate the portion of the contract that requires all parties to “promote goodwill and fellowship” between City Council and High Shoals residents.
The troubled working relationship has City Council reviewing the contract, Weekley said, but a letter sent to the department in June said they were doing more than reviewing.
The letter said City Council was considering terminating the contract.
City Attorney Jim Windham said last week that council members have discussed altering the document because it is vague and outdated.
Fire protection
If the city cuts ties with the department, residents could still have fire protection.
The city would need a new contract with the county or a neighboring department, Gaston County Fire Marshal Eric Hendrix said.
The local department would no longer be responsible for providing fire protection to High Shoals residents, Hendrix said.
Things can get complicated when you cross county lines or involve other municipalities, the fire marshal said.
“If they choose not to renew that contract inside the city limits, that’s totally up to them. I wouldn’t advise it, but it’s totally up to them,” Hendrix said. “The best thing would be for them to settle out any differences that they can.